Anwar gets Saiful's police report, finally
PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim has finally received a copy of the police report made by his accuser, almost two months after the sodomy complaint was lodged.
PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim has finally received a copy of the police report made by his accuser, almost two months after the sodomy complaint was lodged.
The opposition leader had earlier made repeated requests for the report, which was lodged by ex-aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan on June 28.
The police however said they would provide a copy of the report only after Anwar had been charged.
But despite being charged for sodomy on Aug 7, Anwar did not get the crucial police report. Anwar’s lawyers have argued that without the report, it would be difficult for them to prepare his defence.
Last Thursday, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar - who oversees the police - was reported as saying that Anwar should be given the police report as he is entitled to it under the law.
Anwar, who revealed that he had finally got the police report, said at a press conference today that he found yet another inconsistency in Saiful’s complaint but he did not elaborate on the matter.
“We have found there was another inconsistency in the police report that was given to us - six weeks later, (and) on the instruction of the minister,” he told reporters in Yayasan Aman building in Permatang Pauh, where the party’s election campaign office is located.
The politician, who is contesting as a PKR candidate in the Aug 26 Permatang Pauh by-election, is making a bid to return to Parliament after a 10-year hiatus as he struggled to fight the fresh sodomy charge.
When contacted, Anwar’s lawyer Sankara Nair confirmed that the legal team had received a copy of Saiful’s report at about 5pm on Thursday from the police.
He however declined to provide further details on the report.
“We have no comment to make until the legal team meets and deliberates on the report.”
‘I’ve seen both medical reports’
Anwar, in making the disclosure today, argued that there was no case against him in the sodomy charge.
He argued there were discrepancies on the number of times Saiful said he was allegedly sodomised as well as the medical examination done on the alleged victim.
The PKR politician now claimed that he has seen both medical reports - the first by Hospital Pusrawi which found no signs of sodomy and a second report by Hospital Kuala Lumpur.
The second report, which has yet to be made public, is widely believed to have supported the 23-year-old’s allegation that he was sodomised.
Anwar’s statement today however claimed otherwise.
“I have seen the first medical report and privy to the second medical report. Based on that, there is no case (for me) to answer,” he stressed during the 45-minute press conference.
Saiful had on Friday
swore on the Quran
that he was sodomised by Anwar.
However, the politician dismissed it as a political gimmick and questioned Saiful’s timing, who took the oath on the eve of nominations for the Permatang Pauh by-election.
BN hopes to slash Anwar’s majority
Anwar also slammed the “dirty” campaign mounted by his rival BN in the run-up to the by-election.
He cited the example of shouts of ‘sodomy’ by BN supporters during nominations yesterday in respond to PKR’s supporters who had chanted ‘reformasi’ and ‘merdeka’.
“You can see the dirty campaign and the sheer hypocrisy (of those) who are both corrupt and immoral in using religion and the Quran in this election,” he said without naming names.
Anwar also claimed there is a campaign on the ground urging voters not to come out to vote on polling day.
He said there are also attempts by BN workers to collect identity cards from voters so that others could go to the ballot box to vote on their behalf.
While Anwar is almost certain to emerge victorious in the by-election, BN is hoping to slash his winning margin.
The opposition leader has earlier ticked off the Election Commission for holding the by-election on a working day .
In addition, Anwar said there is a whispering campaign accusing him as a Chinese agent and even claims that his wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, is half Chinese.
Anwar stressed that the Aug 26 election should be free and fair.
Also present at the press conference today were Wan Azizah, their daughter Nurul Izzah, who is also the Lembah Pantai MP, PKR vice-president Azmin Ali, Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin and election bureau deputy chief Dr Mansor Othman.

